Now Pensions has appointed Martyn James to be its director of investment.
James joins from Mercer, where he was partner in the UK DC business and for a period led Mercer’s Wealth business in Latin America.
In this new role James will be responsible for leading the investment strategy for Now Pensions, with a focus on delivering returns for members. He will also work on enhancing the sustainability characteristics of the portfolio, working with the trustee to strengthen stewardship activity.
Now Pensions says this appointment comes as the auto-enrolment provider is making a number of changes to its proposition, due to be rolled out members and employers in coming months.
The master trust provider has also recently altered the investment strategy for its default fund, which previously was based on a derivative-based risk parity approach. It now invests directly into equities and fixed income assets.
However figures compiled by Corporate Adviser for the CAPA index show that Now Pensions has consistently failed to deliver outperformance for its members in recent years.
Now Pensions, owed by Cardano, is one of the bigger providers in the market. It recently surpassed £4 billion in assets under management and has more than 2m members.
Now Pensions CEO Patrick Luthi, says: “[James] joins at a crucial moment as we look to drive momentum across our investment proposition. He joins us with a deep knowledge of the UK master trust market that will be instrumental in guiding our investment strategy into its next chapter, ensuring we continue to deliver for our members alongside keeping pace with the ever-evolving pensions landscape.”
Martyn James, director of investment, Now Pensions, says he hoped to drive better outcomes for members, “while working closely with the trustee to ensure our investments align to their three core principles of climate change, living wage and gender equality.”